Table Of ContentF. Barbagliet al. 146 Bull. B.O.C. 1997 117(2)
Gliris Romanorum et Pici murarii, quibus nonnullas alias ohservationes
adiungo. Merops (murarius) cinerascens, rostro ahdomine cauda
. . . ,
alisque nigris, remigibusque primariis semicoccineis, rectricibus apice
albentibus Habitat et nidificat inArcibus elatioribus etdesertis, nee non
in turribus. ....." ["Here is the description of the Dormouse of the
Romans and of the Wallcreeper, to which I am adding some other
observations . . . Merops murarius, ashy coloured, bill, abdomen, tail
and wings black, the primaries half scarlet, the rectrices white-tipped
... It inhabits and nests on the higher solitary fortresses, as well as on
towers "].
A lon.g.er., detailed description followed. This was meticulous when
giving body characters, and he obviously had a freshly killed specimen
in winter plumage in front of him when writing the letter, since he
was able to describe the shape of the nostrils, of the tongue
and of the palate. A vivid report of the Wallcreeper's behaviour
revealed that Scopoli had observed the bird in life personally: ''Sub
finem Autumni migrat solitarius, volatu vago, remigante, muto. Aedificia
elatiora, turres et Arces adit, muris insidet, super hos saltitando reptat,
fenestras et latebras recognoscit, araneas devorat, muscas segniores capit,
inquietus, frigoris amans, numquam pinguescens'' ["Towards the end
ofAutumn it migrates alone with a wandering, flapping, silent flight. It
visits the higher buildings, towers and fortresses, sits on the walls,
creeps on them hopping, explores windows and concealed places,
devours spiders, catches the slower flies, restless, loving cold weather
and never getting fat"].
On 17 May 1763 an enthusiastic Linnaeus replied from Uppsala,
gratefully acknowledging Scopoli's helpful information: ''Epistolam
tuam V. A. d. 7 aprilis data rite accepi, perplacuit pulcherrima avis
. . .
europaea Picus muralis dicta " ["I have safely received your letter
. . .
dated 7th April, ... I liked very much the beautiful European bird
called Picus muralis "].
. . .
Linnaeus included it as a new species under the name of Certhia
muraria in his 12th edition of Systerna Naturae (1766), where he
acknowledged the information received. Later, Scopoli (1769)
published a very similar diagnosis for Certhia muraria.
An interesting point concerns the type-locality of Certhia muraria
Linnaeus 1766. Although briefly mentioning other authors, such as
Gesner, Aldrovandi, Kramer and Brisson, Linnaeus clearly relied
on Scopoli's contribution for the printed description of the
Wallcreeper. Since Scopoli's specimen is stated to originate from
Carniola, according to correspondence with Linnaeus, we believe that
the Linnean type-locality {''Habitat in Europae australis turribus,
arcibus'') of Tichodroma muraria muraria (L.) can be restricted to
Carniola in Slovenia.
Acknowledgements
TheAuthorswishtoexpresstheirgratitudeto Miss Gina Douglas, Librarian, andtothe
Linnean Society of London, for their kind permission to study and transcribe the
ScopoH—Linnaeus correspondence, held in their care.
D. Parkin 147 Bull. B.O.C. 1997 117(2)
References:
Cobelli, G. & Delaiti, C. 1889. LettereineditediCarloLinneoa GiovanniAntonioScopoli.
Tip. Roveretana, Rovereto.
Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema NaturaeperRegno Tria Naturae, secundum Classes, Genera,
Species cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio Decima,
Reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae.
Linnaeus, C. 1766. Systema NaturaeperRegno Tria Naturae, secundum Classes, Genera,
Speciescum Characteribus,Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. TomusI.EditioDuodecimo,
Reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae.
Scopoli, G. A. 1769. AnnusIHistorico-Naturalis. Sumtib. Ch. G. Hilscheri, Lipsiae.
Scopoli, G. A. 1786-1788. Deliciaeflorae etfaunaeInsubricae. 3 vols. Typ. Reg. et Imp.
Monasterii S. Salvatoris, Ticini.
Soban, D. 1995. Linne's letters to Scopoli 1761 —1773. Prirodoslovno Drustvo Slovenije,
Ljubljana.
Violani, C. & Zava, B. 1995. Carolus Linnaeus andthe Edible Dormouse. Hystrix (n. s.)
6: 109-115.
Addresses: Fabio Barbagli, Via Margaritone 20, 52100 Arezzo, Italy. Fausto Barbagli
FLS, Museo di Storia Naturale dell' Universita, Sezione di Zoologia "La Specola",
ViaRomana 17, 50125 Florence, Italy. C. G. Violani FLS, Dipartimento diBiologia
Animale, University ofPavia, Piazza Botta 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
©
British Ornithologists' Club 1997
Molecular probes for identifications of raptors
by D. Parkin
Research into the Red KiteMilvus milvus at Nottingham resuhed in the
DNA
isolation of a clone that is inherited in a sex-limited fashion. It
reveals a multi-band profile that is transmitted more or less faithfully
DNA
from mother to daughter. This 'matrilineal' pattern is typical for
that is sited on the female-specific (W) chromosome. Analysis of a
series of unrelated female kites from Germany and Spain revealed that
there were 20 different patterns among 27 nest sites. There was no
evidence of a common pattern between the two regions.
A long series of females from Wales revealed only two profiles,
suggesting that this population is distinctly less variable. This finding is
DNA
supported by the analysis of multi-locus profiles in kites from
these three regions.
A single locus was analysed using an oligonucleotide probe. The
number of alleles detected was significantly less in the birds from
Wales, whereas those from Germany and Spain did not differ.
All these results suggest that Red Kites from Wales are genetically
depauperate.
Interestingly, a southern isolate of the Welsh populations revealed a
significant difference in genetic structure. First, the two matrilines
differed in relative frequency, and second, the single locus data
differed. The rarer of the matrilines was very similar to a German
profile, suggesting the possibility that a bird from this region had
